Fresno State Professor May Be Sacked After Publicly Ridiculing Barbara Bush
A tweet about Barbara Bush has been drawing fire for its malicious intent to humiliate the former First Lady a mere hour after she was announced dead on Tuesday.
Randa Jarrar, a teacher in the English Department of the Fresno State, posted a series of messages on Twitter, calling Mrs. Bush a racist and a witch, stating that she was happy that the ex-President's wife has passed away.
Mrs. Bush died at the age of 92 due to poor health. Months before she perished, she reportedly opted to get comfort care instead of undergoing more medical treatment. While it was not clear what the cause of her death was, speculations indicate that it was her long battle with lung disease and congestive heart failure that ultimately ended her life.
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An hour after the announcement about Mrs. Bush's death, Jarrar called her out, claiming that she and her husband were racists who raised a war criminal. The professor also mentioned about the couple's "genocidal ways," stating that she could not wait for the rest of the Bush family to "fall" the way 1.5 million Iraqis did during George W. Bush's invasion of the country in 2003.
Many "netizens" commented about the hate tweet, criticizing Jarrar for her inappropriate behavior against the deceased. Some even urged the school to dismiss her from her position. Jarrar fired back, claiming that she could not be fired from her work because of her tenure. She even tagged tag the school's president in her post.
Though born in Chicago, Jarrar is reportedly a Muslim who grew up in Kuwait and Egypt. She made her home in the U.S. after the first Gulf War. She wrote articles for several newspapers, including The New York Times Magazine and The Oxford American. Jarrar is also the author of two books, "A Map of Home," a coming of age novel, and "Him, Me, Muhammad Ali," a story collection.
Soon after she posted the messages, members of the Fresco State community expressed disappointment about Jarrar's statements. In some of the tweets, they made clear that the university should not be involved with her personal views.
The school president, Joseph Casto, also released a statement, making clear that what Jarrar did was done of her own accord and did not represent the stand of the university in any way.
"Professor Jarrar's expressed personal views and commentary are obviously contrary to the core values of our University, which include respect and empathy for individuals with divergent points of view, and a sincere commitment to mutual understanding and progress," Casto's statement reads.
Despite Jarrar's confidence that she would not get the sack because of her uncalled-for tirade on Twitter, recent reports indicate that Fresco State is currently investigating the matter.
In a previous post, the professor claimed that as a tenured employee who earns a hundred thousand dollars a year, her position was secured. The university's provost, Lynnette Zelezny, however, made clear that firing Jarrar is not improbable. According to Zelezny, what she did was "disrespectful" and that they are looking into the case "very seriously."
